Monthly Archives: June 2017

There is a certain giddiness when you see the transformation of your manuscript into a book, and you see it and get to hold it in your hands for the first time. I was grinning like the Cheshire Cat when I opened the box and saw my pretties beneath the butcher paper protecting them.

To be honest, I wasn’t expecting them for another couple of days, so I didn’t even look at the mailing label well enough to realize it was from the printer. I was wondering what I ordered from amazon and forgot about. lol

I pulled out a copy, held it under the light, and admired the cover that Suzanna Lynn from Funky Book Designs created for me. She gave me exactly what I wanted and created something that had me saying, YES! That’s it perfectly! She is amazing!

I opened it up, and had to hold in the squeeee wanting to escape as my mother, who was there, was already looking at me like I had lost my mind. It’s so pretty, and I can hardly wait for all of you to see it in person, because the picture doesn’t do it justice. Thank you to the ones who took my manuscript and turned it into a pretty book. You know who you are.

The Veiled Path to Destiny~The Veil Book 2 releases on July 8th. You can’t pre-order the print copy, but you can the e-copy on Amazon for only $.99. That’s right, 99 copper pennies will get you an e-copy delivered to your choice of Kindle reader/app on July 8th. www.amazon.com/dp/B072YT686B If you’re at Writers on the River on the 8th, you can be one of the first readers to get your hands on the print copy. 😉

Not to be outdone, the e-book of the first book in the series, Beyond the Veil of Whispered Dreams~The Veil Book 1, is also available for $.99 for a limited time www.amazon.com/dp/B015NP04Q6

For YEARS I have used a dayrunner pro business system binder. YEARS. Today, I loaded up the refill for next year (since I used something different for this year) not realizing that I had purchased the 2 page per day version instead of the 1 page per day version. WOAH…what a difference…I can no longer stuff 2+ years worth of planning pages into the trusty binder…heck, I can barely get one in. I need to either go back to the one a day, or find a bigger binder. FRACK!

I was so excited to be more organized and ready for 2018…Being that I took it out of the wrapper, I don’t think I can return it either. I’ll call tomorrow. My motivation just went out the window, which bites…I was on a role.

Once again, time to re-route. Anyone else have planner issues? How do you make it work and keep it manageable?

I hope this finds you enjoying your summer. Living in south Louisiana I find days where the humidity matches the temperature tend to keep me inside, more often than not. I’ve never been much of a summer person, preferring the cooler temps of Autumn and Winter.

This past weekend I did get out, though. I attended Author’s Day at the South Lafourche Library in Cut Off, LA. I wish I could say it was a rousing success, and I met a lot of new readers. It might have happened, but the library management fell short on promoting the event, sadly to say.

Not to say that I didn’t have a good time, however. I made a few sales, and I did meet a few readers, enjoying the time to chat with them. It also gave me the day to meet the other authors. I got quite a bit of networking in, and hopefully made new friends. Unwinding at a local Mexican restaurant afterwards with most of the authors was fun, and the conversation was lively.

Future plans were made with authors Genevieve Williams, Em Shotwell, and Danielle Dauphinet. Hopefully things work out, I would love to see them again. There’s talk of getting together for signings at other libraries and craft shows. One of the authors, Neal Bertrand, did a small video interview on each of us. You can catch it on YouTube HERE.

Other than that, I’ve been honing my formatting skills. The one thing I learned quickly is that I have a long way to go before I can say “I’ve got this.” There are a zillion details, and distractions are a definite deterrent. Details aren’t a problem for me. I’m a stickler for them… the distractions, well, that’s another story. Even though I turned the project in under the deadline, I found out that what I sent didn’t get to the publisher the same way. How that happened is beyond me, so it seems I have a lot more work to do before my next project.

Other than that, not a whole lot is going on right now. I’ve been trying to finish up some short stories that were started awhile back, and I’ve got an idea for a new book. The new guy is definitely going to have to wait, though. Too many unfinished projects tend to make me antsy.

On that note, I’m going to end here, and get back to work. Enjoy your summer, and make the time to read a few books. There are worlds waiting to be discovered!

Guess what! The Veiled Path to Destiny is up for Pre-Order and Beyond the Veil of Whispered Dreams is on Sale!

If she had never been at a crossroad before, Daria found herself at one now.

With one foot in the distant past, the other remains firmly entrenched in the present. Daria tries to come to terms with the memories of her previous life as they inundate her mind on an endless loop. Can she deal with the past and find a way to walk the path that is laid out for her future? Is she brave enough to face her destiny, or will she walk away?

Iauron has his Queen back…or does he? His is aware of Daria’s lingering doubts about him as she tries to retain her humanity in the face of remembering and accepting who she once was. Though the main threat to her life is temporarily incapacitated, he knows it cannot, and will not, remain that way forever.

Not fully Verisiel nor Daria, is she strong enough to meet the coming threat head on? Can she come into her powers and stand by his side? Can he let her go if she cannot accept the whole truth of her situation?

Big questions remain with few answers in sight, and time is running out.

Things are not always simple or what they seem.
Daria McClaren is content. She has her dance school, her cousin Celine and the man of her dreams. Literally.

Iauron is uneasy. As the High King of the Fae, his chosen Queen Verisiel is calling to him, but he cannot find her. The court insists that she has crossed over. He is not so sure that is the case. He has searched every realm looking. Every realm, but the human one.

The race is on. Beyond the veil lie truths waiting to be revealed. Which one will have the courage to look? Will they be in time?

The days are a blur as I try to manage a huge list. I am working on a release for one of the house authors as I have multiple deadlines of my own. I have an upcoming signing event that I’m trying to gear up for as I try to put together the Graduation party for child #2 who wrapped high school up in 3 years instead of 4.

The list is getting checked off, but I swear as soon as I get one done, there are a half-dozen more that magically appear. The list is a rabbit y’all!

For now…so I can keep strangling the bits to do what needs doing…here’s the latest release news I have for you. 🙂 Rogue, my latest work is available for preorder in the Limited Edition Set Cimmerian Shade…have a peek…there’s a great list of authors here!!

Pre-Order for these 24 NEW & Exclusive stories is priced for the taking on all outlets…$0.99!
Grab yours today, wherever you like to get your e-books!

This week I’m switching up on things. I did manage to get some writing in on one of my short stories. There’s also a new story brewing in my head, but I’m trying to put that one on a back burner for now.

Yesterday, I began formatting a book for one of the house authors. I’m excited to be taking it on, because I’m learning a new skill. I also feel like I’m contributing to the house in a productive way. It’s giving back to the publishing house that took a chance on me. Now, all I have to do is fix a few glitches… 😉

Today, I have a book signing at a library in one of my neighboring towns. While these haven’t always resulted in a lot of sales, it’s a chance to catch up with local authors, make new friends, and meet a few readers. It’s still a win in my book. I’ll let you know how it goes next week.

Till then, enjoy your summer and read a good book or three. You can go anywhere within the pages of a great story.

I’m done. It’s done. The edits and read-through for The Veiled Path to Destiny~The Veil Book 2 are done!

This book has been my companion, some times combative, some times as silent as a church mouse, for over a year. It was a late bloomer. At times, the characters were reluctant to share their tale, as if sensing their story was coming to an end. But tell it they did. I can hope the words I wove together did their story justice, and you, the reader, enjoy reading about their journey.

This morning, I sent The Veiled Path to Destiny to my publisher. From there it will find itself in the hands of the formatter, who will work their magic, taking a word document and turning it into the form of a book.

The release date is July 8th.It will make its debut at Writer’s on the River in Peoria. Keep watching for the cover reveal.

And… I’m on a roll. Okay, it’s a small roll, maybe just a dinner roll, but it’s a start.

I finished my short story.

I finished my novella.

A Destiny Denied has come back from three of my four Beta readers.

Checked my folder of Sully and Larke short stories. Six files are in there; three are completed and three need to be finished. If I compile all six short stories into one volume, I can actually wrap up my book about Sully and Larke’s adventures.

I’m thinking to myself that things are looking up. All that would be left is editing, cover art, and then formatting and publishing. With luck, I’ll find a job soon and will be able to cover the expenses. Three more books published in the coming year. Goals!

I can sit back, and take my time finishing up Blindsided.

I had lunch with a friend of mine yesterday. He’s a writer too, and madly creative. When I told him about the progress on my stories, he looks me dead in the eye and says, “I’ve got one for your Sully and Larke stories. You see, there’s this succubus…” *headdesk* Guess I’m not quite done, after all.

I’m knee deep in edits. It’s never fun or easy, but a necessary evil required for all books to go through. I’m not going to go on about how much I don’t like going through edits because…really…what writer enjoys them? lol.

I am going to keep this short though. The deadline to get them done is looming, and I have many more pages to go through.

In the meantime…if you haven’t read the beginning of Daria and Iauron’s story, Beyond the Veil of Whispered Dreams, why don’t you check it out. 😉 You’ll want to read it before you read The Veiled Path to Destiny.

Somedays feel like this. Others, I feel like I don’t have enough hours, can’t get enough done, or lose track of where I’m at & what I’m doing, so starting over is the best option. Time to make the donuts indeed. The days right now are a big time blur. I simply have too many projects all vying for my attention JUST as mother nature decided to stop drowning us out every day and I want to get outside and get my fingers in the soil.

On my desk sits a quote…whose? I don’t know, could be mine for all I remember. It’s just a little something written on a slip of paper with no attribution: “Life is not measured by the number of things we undertake or entertain, but by those we complete in spite of the hurdles.”

I love this. It reminds me every time I sit down that I can juggle as many things as I want, but unless I’m wrapping them up, one by one…they are only static on the journey. I can build great things and move mountains…so long as I remember that I cannot do them all simultaneously. Kinda like eating an elephant, you know?

I realized at a release party takeover I was doing over the weekend that I ooops’d and revealed a cover that hasn’t been revealed yet. LOL. Guess I’ll need to get on that soon. I have so many bits & pieces all coming to the final stages right now..that honest – I’m here, but maybe not HERE-here. So, stay tuned, keep watching…and who knows…there may be lots of surprises popping up!